For some, it’s the next best thing to travel. For others, it is the opportunity to dive even further into their fandom. Like books, movies, and TV series, video games are another form of media offering the chance to escape and explore. But video games offer something the others cannot: it’s immersive. And this gives us an even deeper connection than ever before.
A 2025 Skyscanner survey revealed that over a third of US travellers are inspired by locations in their favourite video game. In Australia, more than 80% consider themselves gamers (even on the most casual of levels), with the average age around 35 and a slightly higher chance of being female (IGEA 2025). At the same time, Australians love to travel, with more than 1.2million of us heading overseas in July 2025; that’s 5% more than last year.
So, Where is All of the Video Game Tourism?
I’m telling ya: It’s hard trying to talk to tourism boards and travel magazines about Video Game Tourism. The stats don’t lie. There is a clear overlap on the Venn Diagram. Gamers like to travel too! But for some weird reason, there are still some editors out there who think video gamers are teenage boys with white, pasty skin, playing games in their mum’s basement. That stereotype is outdated, and it is absolutely time to move on!!
For the record, this is Didier. He is a teenage male who lives at home with his family and plays video games.
Didi also has a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, is one of the lead trainers for the kids class, enjoys hiking and history, and is pretty damn skilled at woodwork. He is also solo-travelling across Europe in 2025, visiting family and friends, exploring the countryside, and meeting new people. One of the key stops on his trip is Rataje nad Sázavou in the Czech Republic, a key location in the video game Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.
Didier isn’t the first person to do this. In fact, the local tourism board has collaborated closely with game developers to offer travel experiences that connect with both the game and the area’s cultural heritage. It is one example of how video game tourism can provide authentic and responsible travel experiences for passionate gamers.
How is Video Game Tourism Different
All geek travel is about connecting our passions with real locations. Video Games have an extra benefit: they offer an immersive experience. Books rely on your imagination, movies and television series give us spectacular visual cues. However, video games offer us interaction; with some games, you can explore the area, interact with other characters, and take some agency in how you fit into the location. This leads to new memories being triggered when we finally arrive at our dream holiday and see the location in person.
Take, for example, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Released on Windows and Xbox in Dec 2024 (then PS5 in April 2025), the game is praised for its excellent graphics and accurate depiction of real-life locations (and many other reasons). The developers had so much respect for authenticity in the game’s representation, they naturally included this respect in the gameplay: “For example, we never harm any temples in the game… All artefacts that are real in the game are thoroughly researched, and then we have a lot of made-up artifacts and assets–and for those, we are also very cautious to make sure they fit within the cultural context we are exploring.” – Axel Torvenius, Creative Director at MachineGames.
How Real is Real Enough
Game developers recognise the importance of authenticity — gamer geeks know when it’s wrong and are unforgiving. It’s what we love in these games. It doesn’t have to be 100% realistic. The appeal of Mario Kart World lies in its cute, artistic representation of world-famous landmarks in a highly stylised manner. Pokémon Go showed a way to explore our real world with very unreal characters. Indie games like Letters to Arralla provide us with just enough whimsical familiarity to create a safe space while offering an escape from the grind. All of these are examples of games that don’t rely on hyperrealistic graphics to inspire our travel dreams.
Can Video Game Tourism Coincide with Responsible Travel?
Absolutely! There are numerous news reports highlighting poor travel behaviour. First and foremost, travel should always be responsible and considerate of the locals. Tourism does not entitle us to do whatever we want simply because we are throwing money at someone. There are certainly some video game travel experiences that will not be promoted here (eg, Mario Kart-style tours in Japan), due to disrespect to locals.
On the other hand, video game tourism can also encourage cultural heritage preservation, conservation, and restoration. In 2020, fans of the game Ghost of Tsushima were predominantly responsible for raising over ï¿¥27 million JPY in crowdfunding to restore a Torii gate damaged in a typhoon. The temple priests and the local mayor continued to nurture a positive relationship with game developers, making them honorary travel ambassadors for Tsushima.
When it comes to promoting a positive relationship between locals and video game tourism, it depends on the authenticity of the gaming developers and how this is presented to gamers. Designers have a responsibility to consider how a culture or location is presented in the game, and gamers have a responsibility to respect that presentation. When we bring this together, we can celebrate the passion of both the worlds we play and the world we live in.